I've been home in Edmonton for the last week and a half and the time has flown by. It is hard to believe that I will be on yet another airplane in two short days. I feel like I just got here; yet this has been the longest period of time that I've spent at home since the summer of '01.
I've been taking pictures of friends and snow and other Edmonton-related things that I have missed since I have been away. Of course, I forgot the cord that I need to upload the pictures onto my parents' home computer, so you will have to wait a few days (until we get back to Beirut) for the photoblog. Just more to look forward to.
During all of these months in Beirut, I thought that my homesickness was due to an over-romanticization of the comforts of home. And though some of my home-related neurosis has returned, being home has only reinforced my affinity for the things that I have missed since I have been away:
Stepping outside first thing in the morning to get the newspaper and taking a big breath of the cold, clean air. Wide roads, lanes and drivers stopping for traffic lights. Quiet walks outside. Long showers in clean water. Turning on the radio to a classic rock station. A TV listings channel for my time zone... in English. Internet connection that works all the time. The endless Alberta sky. Being around people who survived the nasty teen years with me. People who are equally, if not more crazy about the Oilers. Insane Dexter.
It could be a while before I get back to Canada after this. The next time might be for Vince and Connie's wedding in September of next year! And in the long run I will certainly be away from Canada for long stints. But I'll always come home -- I can't really imagine wanting to be any place else!
Hope all of you who are reading this have had a great holiday (no matter what holiday it is that you celebrate or didn't celebrate!). See you in the new year!
Friday, December 29, 2006
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Syriana, Part 2
A couple of weekends ago, Glenn and I escaped Beirut to make our second trip to Damascus. Once again, we stayed with Mona and Stephen. We hit the market in the old city and this time entered the massive mosque. I wasn't covered up enough, so we were forced to rent some really drab garb for me, complete with ridiculous velcro closures! It was hard to walk and it was super warm.
The art on the walls outside of the mosque itself (inside the square of the compound) was quite impressive. Stephen, Glenn and I went inside enormous carpeted prayer area, where we saw a large, roped-off display encased all around in green glass. We came over to have a closer look, and saw a shrine and and a tomb. I had no idea what I was looking at, so we checked out our guidebooks... and found out that we were looking at the place where the head of John the Baptist was entombed! Apparently, back in "the day", the Muslims used to allow Christians to worship there, but they don't anymore. Some people were taking pictures of this area, but we thought it was sort of bad form to snap pictures where people were in mid-prayer.
We topped off our couple of days in Damascus with a group dinner in a restaurant on top of the mountain overlooking the city. We heard that somewhere in the mountains there are caves where Cain and Abel (of biblical fame) were allegedly buried.
Here are some of the pictures that we took from that weekend.
The art on the walls outside of the mosque itself (inside the square of the compound) was quite impressive. Stephen, Glenn and I went inside enormous carpeted prayer area, where we saw a large, roped-off display encased all around in green glass. We came over to have a closer look, and saw a shrine and and a tomb. I had no idea what I was looking at, so we checked out our guidebooks... and found out that we were looking at the place where the head of John the Baptist was entombed! Apparently, back in "the day", the Muslims used to allow Christians to worship there, but they don't anymore. Some people were taking pictures of this area, but we thought it was sort of bad form to snap pictures where people were in mid-prayer.
We topped off our couple of days in Damascus with a group dinner in a restaurant on top of the mountain overlooking the city. We heard that somewhere in the mountains there are caves where Cain and Abel (of biblical fame) were allegedly buried.
Here are some of the pictures that we took from that weekend.
Monday, December 4, 2006
Syriana
A few weeks ago, we made our first trip to Syria. It is about 2 hours drive from Beirut (depending upon the length of time it takes at the border crossing). We stayed with our friends Mona and Stephen who are originally from the Montreal area and are now living and working in Damascus.
I've posted pictures from this visit to a web album. If you click on the image below, I think it will take you to a slideshow of our pictures.
I've posted pictures from this visit to a web album. If you click on the image below, I think it will take you to a slideshow of our pictures.
I'll Be Home For Christmas
I haven't been very good about blogging for the past week or so. I was sick for a few days and then this weekend we decided to get ourselves out of Beirut, partly to avoid the protests which were scheduled to begin on Friday and partly to get some Christmas shopping done. So we went to Damascus to hang out with Stephen and Mona, who once again were so good as to put us up in their SQ and also to play tour guides for us through the old city.
The Christmas season is officially upon us now. There were all sorts of fake Christmas trees, decorations and toys being sold in the market in Damascus, and there was even a very Rockefeller Center-esque giant (fake) tree in a square in front of a Catholic church. Here in Beirut, the ABC (that's the upscale version of The Bay here) has a floor that is devoted to Christmas.
To be absolutely honest the whole thing is depressing to me. I can see that the time is going by and that somehow it is now December, but it certainly doesn't look or feel like December or like Christmas to me. It's 20C outside. I cannot complain -- I hear that back home it is -40C with the windchill -- but Christmas will not be the same without winter and family.
That's why I am so happy to be going home for Christmas. Glenn and I will be flying out of Beirut on the 16th. Here are the dates of our Canadian Christmas Tour:
Ottawa - December 16th
Home (Edmonton/Riverview) - December 17th to 31st
Ottawa - December 31st to January 6th
Inhuman weather conditions notwithstanding, I cannot wait to get home to Canada. I have been thinking of all of the things that I want to do out there. Here is a short list of them:
1. Go to the movies and see the latest films -- it takes a while before the big North American films get out here, and the selection is rather random. I want to see The Departed, Stranger than Fiction, and anything else that might have been released since I have been gone. Can anyone tell me anything about this Borat movie that seems to be all the rage?
2. Go out for some kickin' Vietnamese food. They have most kinds of cuisine here, but I haven't found any pho'.
3. Buy books -- a lot of them! I have been going through books at near break-neck pace and I need to replenish the stack.
4. Play in the snow.
5. Drink beer... anything other than Almaza and Heineken, which seem to be the only 2 kinds that are common in Lebanon.
6. Poutine. Poutine. Poutine. Poutine.
7. Hang out with friends and family, of course!
If you are in Canada, I hope to see you in a few day's time (12 days and counting!) Make sure to warm the place up for us, as we have grown soft from our time on the Mediterranean coast!
The Christmas season is officially upon us now. There were all sorts of fake Christmas trees, decorations and toys being sold in the market in Damascus, and there was even a very Rockefeller Center-esque giant (fake) tree in a square in front of a Catholic church. Here in Beirut, the ABC (that's the upscale version of The Bay here) has a floor that is devoted to Christmas.
To be absolutely honest the whole thing is depressing to me. I can see that the time is going by and that somehow it is now December, but it certainly doesn't look or feel like December or like Christmas to me. It's 20C outside. I cannot complain -- I hear that back home it is -40C with the windchill -- but Christmas will not be the same without winter and family.
That's why I am so happy to be going home for Christmas. Glenn and I will be flying out of Beirut on the 16th. Here are the dates of our Canadian Christmas Tour:
Ottawa - December 16th
Home (Edmonton/Riverview) - December 17th to 31st
Ottawa - December 31st to January 6th
Inhuman weather conditions notwithstanding, I cannot wait to get home to Canada. I have been thinking of all of the things that I want to do out there. Here is a short list of them:
1. Go to the movies and see the latest films -- it takes a while before the big North American films get out here, and the selection is rather random. I want to see The Departed, Stranger than Fiction, and anything else that might have been released since I have been gone. Can anyone tell me anything about this Borat movie that seems to be all the rage?
2. Go out for some kickin' Vietnamese food. They have most kinds of cuisine here, but I haven't found any pho'.
3. Buy books -- a lot of them! I have been going through books at near break-neck pace and I need to replenish the stack.
4. Play in the snow.
5. Drink beer... anything other than Almaza and Heineken, which seem to be the only 2 kinds that are common in Lebanon.
6. Poutine. Poutine. Poutine. Poutine.
7. Hang out with friends and family, of course!
If you are in Canada, I hope to see you in a few day's time (12 days and counting!) Make sure to warm the place up for us, as we have grown soft from our time on the Mediterranean coast!
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Taking It To the Streets
The services for the slain Lebanese Minister of Industry are underway in downtown Beirut as we speak. Among those in attendance from Canada are the Ambassador to Lebanon, the Parliamentary Secretary for the Prime Minister (Jason Kenney) and MP Irwin Cotler.
[Incidentally, somehow I can't seem to get away from Mr. Cotler. First, I was working at Justice when he became our Minister and I met him shortly thereafter when he toured the regional offices. Then, a few months later, we were called to the Ontario Bar in Toronto on the same day... of course, his was an Honourary call to the Bar and mine was my first one. He crossed the floor immediately before I did, as we were arranged in alphabetical order. So I literally followed in his footsteps! (Ha! I can only hope to be as great a lawyer someday!)]
Anyway, speaking as an outside observer of the goings-on surrounding Pierre Gemayel's death and now funeral, this has been a rather interesting day. And it is only half over!
The military presence on the streets of downtown Beirut (through which we had to pass on the way to the office this morning) was utterly unavoidable. Certain streets were shut down in anticipation of the funeral cortege and protest. It was only 8 AM (with the funeral mass not scheduled to begin until 1 PM), and yet people of all ages were already arriving on foot and in their cars, decked out in white ballcaps and T-shirts and waving flags bearing the Lebanese cedar, sometimes with the Maronite cross.
The Lebanese are not the least bit subtle in their tribute. Story-high signs bearing the likeness of the young Mr. Gemayel loom large over the streets today, on giant billboards and on the sides of buildings, often accompanied by white ribbons or long flags of the Lebanese red and white. On many of these billboards, the image of the half-smiling Mr. Gemayel is superimposed (in fact, juxtaposed) beside the image of the bullet-ridden silver Kia in which he and his bodyguard were gunned down only 2 days ago. This is not the first time I have seen signs like this, so I was only mildly shocked -- throughout Beirut it is rather commonplace to see similar giant photographic images reminding the people of the assassination of their former Prime Minister, Rafik Hariri, and the car bomb explosion that killed him almost 2 years ago. These signs commemorate different men of entirely different religions, but with the same message: celebrate their lives, but do not forget the anger you felt when they were violently murdered on these very streets!
And to the streets the Lebanese people have taken their tribute. The anti-Syrian Sunnite political leader, Saad Hariri (son of the former Prime Minister), called for a mass peaceful protest just outside of the church where Mr. Gemayel's service is being held -- in a part of downtown ironically but aptly known as Martyr's Square. They estimate that more than a million people have headed downtown to take part.
However, instead of a sombre and slow funeral march, the proceedings give the feeling of being nearly festive. On Lebanese television, the news channels broadcast live as Gemayel's white coffin, draped in a white flag bearing the cedar, was carried atop the outstretched hands of his supporters out of his ancestral home in a mountain suburb of Beirut, following a cortege of limousines carrying his immediate family. But instead of placing it into the Hearse immediately, the mourners continued for several minutes to carry his coffin high above their heads in the street -- hoisting him in the air as if they were celebrating their conquering hero instead of their fallen one. Some even threw flower petals or rice at the coffin as it passed.
Along the highway just outside of Beirut (where the Embassy is located), between Gemayel's hometown and Beirut proper, scooters, cars, trucks and buses full of people waving flags, whistling and cheering, hanging outside of their windows, and standing on their roofs headed for dowtown. Some had decorated their vehicles like miniature floats, complete with blaring sound system and giant pictures of Gemayel or Rafik Hariri or both. Vehicle after vehicle streamed down the street on the highway in front of the Embassy, parting and halting only for the passing-by of the heavily guarded funeral cortege, which was also on its way downtown.
Once again, upon arriving in the Square, Gemayel's coffin was carried by hand through the street and on the way to the church, this time accompanied by the coffin containing his slain bodyguard. The large sea of people who had congregated in front of the church applauded as the coffins passed by. The applause continued into the church itself.
As a stranger to this country, I failed to understand why it was as if the mourners were celebrating Gemayel's win in an election rather than saying goodbye to him. Why exhibit excitement rather than fear or sadness? My limited Canadian mind could only liken it to the Lebanese celebrating a Stanley Cup victory -- as the only thing Canadians would get THIS excited about!
But I should not confuse giddy excitement with energy -- an energy coming, first, from grief. I was told that, because Gemayel died as a young man (age 34), he is being treated in death more as a bridegroom than as an old soul who has passed on. Thus being carried on the shoulders of his friends; thus the throwing of rice; and thus the pure white coffin. Evidently, too, this energy comes from deep-seeded frustration and anger, which has been bubbling over since the high-profile assassination of their former Prime Minister. This has become clear to me as I see some of the faces of those around me as well as of those protesters on TV, some carrying signs reminding the Unnamed that they would soon be facing justice for these murders. "Halas," one woman said, "We have just had Enough."
I don't know what lasting effect, if any, the death of the young Mr. Gemayel will have on the populace and on the situation here. The assassination of the extremely popular and influential former Prime Minister, the senior Hariri, was arguably the catalyst for the mini-revolution, known simply as "the 14th of March", where a couple of million Lebanese took to the streets and affected immediate change in their country. However, the hold that the revolution of nearly 2 years ago has in this country today is tenuous at best. Will this newest casualty throw fuel on the revolutionary fire or will it dampen hopes for the future of this country? I imagine we will know soon enough.
[Incidentally, somehow I can't seem to get away from Mr. Cotler. First, I was working at Justice when he became our Minister and I met him shortly thereafter when he toured the regional offices. Then, a few months later, we were called to the Ontario Bar in Toronto on the same day... of course, his was an Honourary call to the Bar and mine was my first one. He crossed the floor immediately before I did, as we were arranged in alphabetical order. So I literally followed in his footsteps! (Ha! I can only hope to be as great a lawyer someday!)]
Anyway, speaking as an outside observer of the goings-on surrounding Pierre Gemayel's death and now funeral, this has been a rather interesting day. And it is only half over!
The military presence on the streets of downtown Beirut (through which we had to pass on the way to the office this morning) was utterly unavoidable. Certain streets were shut down in anticipation of the funeral cortege and protest. It was only 8 AM (with the funeral mass not scheduled to begin until 1 PM), and yet people of all ages were already arriving on foot and in their cars, decked out in white ballcaps and T-shirts and waving flags bearing the Lebanese cedar, sometimes with the Maronite cross.
The Lebanese are not the least bit subtle in their tribute. Story-high signs bearing the likeness of the young Mr. Gemayel loom large over the streets today, on giant billboards and on the sides of buildings, often accompanied by white ribbons or long flags of the Lebanese red and white. On many of these billboards, the image of the half-smiling Mr. Gemayel is superimposed (in fact, juxtaposed) beside the image of the bullet-ridden silver Kia in which he and his bodyguard were gunned down only 2 days ago. This is not the first time I have seen signs like this, so I was only mildly shocked -- throughout Beirut it is rather commonplace to see similar giant photographic images reminding the people of the assassination of their former Prime Minister, Rafik Hariri, and the car bomb explosion that killed him almost 2 years ago. These signs commemorate different men of entirely different religions, but with the same message: celebrate their lives, but do not forget the anger you felt when they were violently murdered on these very streets!
And to the streets the Lebanese people have taken their tribute. The anti-Syrian Sunnite political leader, Saad Hariri (son of the former Prime Minister), called for a mass peaceful protest just outside of the church where Mr. Gemayel's service is being held -- in a part of downtown ironically but aptly known as Martyr's Square. They estimate that more than a million people have headed downtown to take part.
However, instead of a sombre and slow funeral march, the proceedings give the feeling of being nearly festive. On Lebanese television, the news channels broadcast live as Gemayel's white coffin, draped in a white flag bearing the cedar, was carried atop the outstretched hands of his supporters out of his ancestral home in a mountain suburb of Beirut, following a cortege of limousines carrying his immediate family. But instead of placing it into the Hearse immediately, the mourners continued for several minutes to carry his coffin high above their heads in the street -- hoisting him in the air as if they were celebrating their conquering hero instead of their fallen one. Some even threw flower petals or rice at the coffin as it passed.
Along the highway just outside of Beirut (where the Embassy is located), between Gemayel's hometown and Beirut proper, scooters, cars, trucks and buses full of people waving flags, whistling and cheering, hanging outside of their windows, and standing on their roofs headed for dowtown. Some had decorated their vehicles like miniature floats, complete with blaring sound system and giant pictures of Gemayel or Rafik Hariri or both. Vehicle after vehicle streamed down the street on the highway in front of the Embassy, parting and halting only for the passing-by of the heavily guarded funeral cortege, which was also on its way downtown.
Once again, upon arriving in the Square, Gemayel's coffin was carried by hand through the street and on the way to the church, this time accompanied by the coffin containing his slain bodyguard. The large sea of people who had congregated in front of the church applauded as the coffins passed by. The applause continued into the church itself.
As a stranger to this country, I failed to understand why it was as if the mourners were celebrating Gemayel's win in an election rather than saying goodbye to him. Why exhibit excitement rather than fear or sadness? My limited Canadian mind could only liken it to the Lebanese celebrating a Stanley Cup victory -- as the only thing Canadians would get THIS excited about!
But I should not confuse giddy excitement with energy -- an energy coming, first, from grief. I was told that, because Gemayel died as a young man (age 34), he is being treated in death more as a bridegroom than as an old soul who has passed on. Thus being carried on the shoulders of his friends; thus the throwing of rice; and thus the pure white coffin. Evidently, too, this energy comes from deep-seeded frustration and anger, which has been bubbling over since the high-profile assassination of their former Prime Minister. This has become clear to me as I see some of the faces of those around me as well as of those protesters on TV, some carrying signs reminding the Unnamed that they would soon be facing justice for these murders. "Halas," one woman said, "We have just had Enough."
I don't know what lasting effect, if any, the death of the young Mr. Gemayel will have on the populace and on the situation here. The assassination of the extremely popular and influential former Prime Minister, the senior Hariri, was arguably the catalyst for the mini-revolution, known simply as "the 14th of March", where a couple of million Lebanese took to the streets and affected immediate change in their country. However, the hold that the revolution of nearly 2 years ago has in this country today is tenuous at best. Will this newest casualty throw fuel on the revolutionary fire or will it dampen hopes for the future of this country? I imagine we will know soon enough.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
"May you live in interesting times..."
I heard that "may you live in interesting times" is supposed to be a curse. In Lebanon, the people are living through the most interesting of times indeed.
As I strolled home this afternoon from a very pleasant coffee date with a fellow western diplomatic "spouse", I learned that there was a political assassination on the streets outside of Beirut. I subsequently learned that the man assassinated was named Pierre Gemayel -- a Christian political leader. He was only in his 30s. Though I do not have anything more than an academic understanding of Lebanese politics, I cannot help but feel sad. He was very young, only a few years older than myself or Glenn. He was gunned down in his car in his predominantly Christian constituency just outside of Beirut.
I feel sad at this loss of life, but I also feel sad that assassinations such as this one have become commonplace for the people of Lebanon. According to reports, this is the 5th assassination of an anti-Syrian Lebanese politician in the last 2 years.
By all accounts, the political situation here is precarious -- "teetering", as CNN has so aptly put it. Tensions between political factions, which are for the most part divided along religious sectarian lines, are mounting. Opposition political leaders have called for mass demonstrations in the streets and it is not yet known borne out how the assassination of Mr. Gemayel (who was aligned with those trying to uphold the current government) will affect the situation.
I make no judgments here about who is in the right and who is in the wrong. The Lebanese people live in a tangled web of religion and politics, with external forces as strong as the internal ones. Even in my short month here, I have witnessed a mix of frustration and resignation among many of the people that I have met -- they desire stability but they feel powerless to change the tides. I don't know what to do but hope the best for them.
My friend Randal said in his blog that one of his Japanese ESL students wrote the words "I hope world peace" in response to a film about war.
On this night in Beirut -- on the eve of Independence Day in Lebanon -- I hope world peace too.
As I strolled home this afternoon from a very pleasant coffee date with a fellow western diplomatic "spouse", I learned that there was a political assassination on the streets outside of Beirut. I subsequently learned that the man assassinated was named Pierre Gemayel -- a Christian political leader. He was only in his 30s. Though I do not have anything more than an academic understanding of Lebanese politics, I cannot help but feel sad. He was very young, only a few years older than myself or Glenn. He was gunned down in his car in his predominantly Christian constituency just outside of Beirut.
I feel sad at this loss of life, but I also feel sad that assassinations such as this one have become commonplace for the people of Lebanon. According to reports, this is the 5th assassination of an anti-Syrian Lebanese politician in the last 2 years.
By all accounts, the political situation here is precarious -- "teetering", as CNN has so aptly put it. Tensions between political factions, which are for the most part divided along religious sectarian lines, are mounting. Opposition political leaders have called for mass demonstrations in the streets and it is not yet known borne out how the assassination of Mr. Gemayel (who was aligned with those trying to uphold the current government) will affect the situation.
I make no judgments here about who is in the right and who is in the wrong. The Lebanese people live in a tangled web of religion and politics, with external forces as strong as the internal ones. Even in my short month here, I have witnessed a mix of frustration and resignation among many of the people that I have met -- they desire stability but they feel powerless to change the tides. I don't know what to do but hope the best for them.
My friend Randal said in his blog that one of his Japanese ESL students wrote the words "I hope world peace" in response to a film about war.
On this night in Beirut -- on the eve of Independence Day in Lebanon -- I hope world peace too.
Sunday, November 19, 2006
A Fantastic Weekend
I had a weekend in Beirut truly worth writing home to Mom about.
-- Yeah! I have something to do!!!
On Friday morning, I met with a lady named Lina from a Beirut-based NGO called the Collective for Research and Training on Development-Action (CRTDA). I had met with her before about volunteering with the CRTDA, as they are doing a lot of excellent work in Lebanon with regard to increasing the participation of Lebanese women in the formal work sector and the reform of citizenship rights, among other things.
Just the day before this meeting, I had coffee with a Canadian ex-pat journalist (from T.O. -- but we will try not hold that against him) and bored him to death with my complaints about having nothing to do. The poor guy. Well, that changed as of Friday, as I have been given a big project with the CRTDA that is right up my alley... ok, maybe not TOTALLY up my alley (it's not about income tax law) but it will keep me extremely busy until I leave for the Christmas holidays, and the results will be immediate. I have been put in charge of producing a report/publication that will serve as one of the main marketing and information tools for the CRTDA. Hopefully I will be up to the task.
Between the contract work at the Embassy and my volunteer work, I should be quite a busy girl. I am so happy to finally have something meaningful to sink my teeth into. I'm pretty sure that my brain muscles were beginning to atrophy!
... Doing nothing -- With style!
It is so ironic that I was complaining about having nothing to do because, as a belated birthday gift, Glenn bought me a whole day of doing nothing -- at the swanky Movenpick Resort Spa on the Mediterranean coast (on the Corniche by the Pigeon Rocks) in Beirut. I've never had a spa day before, much less at a luxury resort!
During the 6 hours that I was at the Movenpick, I was treated to a sea salt exfoliation scrub (a weird feeling, but your skin feels fantastic afterwards), an hour-long aromatherapy massage, a full body mud wrap (30 minutes in a warm cocoon -- the best treatment of the day!), a facial, and a manicure and pedicure.
The spa day also included the lunch buffet at one of the Movenpick restaurants overlooking the outdoor pool area. I took the full hour for lunch (after the mud wrap and before the facial), making sure that I sampled everything that I wanted, from the shrimp cocktail to seafood tempura and even a tiny piece of chocolate mousse cake. There I sat in the restaurant on the 8th floor while I dined on this delicious food. The afternoon sun was shining over the Mediterranean, making the waters shimmer past the palm trees. I watched as speedboats whizzed by and as a smattering of tourists lazed around and sunned themselves by the outdoor pool. What an unbelievable sight for a gal from Edmonton who is used to having her snowboots out by this time of year!
The most remarkable thing about the post-lunch spa day was a conversation that I had with the young lady who did my facial. Many Lebanese people have friends/relatives in Canada, many of whom live in Montreal. This young lady started off the conversation by telling me that she has three cousins who live in Canada, to which I replied, "They must live in Montreal." "Oh no," she said, "They leeve een this state of Al-behr-ta een a city called Ed-mon-ton. Do you know dis place?" If I had been standing up, I probably would have fallen over.
If (or should I say WHEN) you come to visit, I will be sure to take you around to the Movenpick. If the spa treatments aren't your thing, then at least we will go for lunch and savour the view.
-- Saturday Night on the Town
I wanted to top off my fantastic day at the spa by going for a night on the town in Beirut. For those of you who haven't heard, Beirut probably has the best nightlife in all of the Middle East!
But it is so hard when you are the proverbial CFA (Come From Away) and you don't know many people. I would have given my left arm on Saturday night to be able to call up Kyle, Craig, Allison, et al to go out for a pint or two... even if we had to go to that little hole in the wall called Biddy Mulligan's.
Anyway, in order to get past our temporary bout of the blues, Glenn & I decided to go out for dinner and drinks. We headed out to Ghemayze Street (where there are a lot of bars and restaurants) and, after a nice dinner, we found ourselves in familiar surroundings -- an Irish pub, of all things! It was called Maggie Malone's. It was chock full of various western ex-pats who were singing along to cheesy retro hits (case-in-point: "I Was Made for Lovin' You" nearly brought down the house). Needless to say, it was my kind of place!!! I know that I am supposed to be out here experiencing a new culture, but every now and again it is nice to get a little piece of home.
-- This is why I never became an artist.
On Sunday, Glenn & I made a foray into downtown and managed to find the Ceramic Cafe, one of those quaint lunch places where you can paint a ceramic bowl or plate. I have always wanted to do this. There was a ceramic cafe in Halifax that I always wanted to go to, but we just never got around to it!
Because we have been in search of a vase, I decided to go for broke and painted a rather large one. I picked a simple, Japanese-inspired design with leaves, branches and white flowers. Before I started, the woman who manages the cafe helped me to pick colours and even showed off the design that I had chosen (from a book) to other customers. 4 1/2 hours and several bottles of paint later (many of which ended up all over the ceiling and my elbows), the manager wasn't showing off about my vase anymore. The thing looked like it was painted by a 5-year-old! When I signed the bottom of the vase before we left, I was very tempted to write "Cheryl, age 6".
Glenn has tried to assure me that it will look more "professional" after it is fired in the kiln and polished up. I guess we will find out in a week when we go back for the finished products. One part of me is almost too embarrassed to pick it up, but the other half of me is strangely fascinated with what this monstrosity is going to look like!
***
On a parting note, I want to thank all of you who e-mailed me about this blog, as it is so nice to hear from everyone! I will be posting more pictures tomorrow and I will take some pics of the apartment as soon as it stops looking so embarrassing (cardboard and books everywhere!).
-- Yeah! I have something to do!!!
On Friday morning, I met with a lady named Lina from a Beirut-based NGO called the Collective for Research and Training on Development-Action (CRTDA). I had met with her before about volunteering with the CRTDA, as they are doing a lot of excellent work in Lebanon with regard to increasing the participation of Lebanese women in the formal work sector and the reform of citizenship rights, among other things.
Just the day before this meeting, I had coffee with a Canadian ex-pat journalist (from T.O. -- but we will try not hold that against him) and bored him to death with my complaints about having nothing to do. The poor guy. Well, that changed as of Friday, as I have been given a big project with the CRTDA that is right up my alley... ok, maybe not TOTALLY up my alley (it's not about income tax law) but it will keep me extremely busy until I leave for the Christmas holidays, and the results will be immediate. I have been put in charge of producing a report/publication that will serve as one of the main marketing and information tools for the CRTDA. Hopefully I will be up to the task.
Between the contract work at the Embassy and my volunteer work, I should be quite a busy girl. I am so happy to finally have something meaningful to sink my teeth into. I'm pretty sure that my brain muscles were beginning to atrophy!
... Doing nothing -- With style!
It is so ironic that I was complaining about having nothing to do because, as a belated birthday gift, Glenn bought me a whole day of doing nothing -- at the swanky Movenpick Resort Spa on the Mediterranean coast (on the Corniche by the Pigeon Rocks) in Beirut. I've never had a spa day before, much less at a luxury resort!
During the 6 hours that I was at the Movenpick, I was treated to a sea salt exfoliation scrub (a weird feeling, but your skin feels fantastic afterwards), an hour-long aromatherapy massage, a full body mud wrap (30 minutes in a warm cocoon -- the best treatment of the day!), a facial, and a manicure and pedicure.
The spa day also included the lunch buffet at one of the Movenpick restaurants overlooking the outdoor pool area. I took the full hour for lunch (after the mud wrap and before the facial), making sure that I sampled everything that I wanted, from the shrimp cocktail to seafood tempura and even a tiny piece of chocolate mousse cake. There I sat in the restaurant on the 8th floor while I dined on this delicious food. The afternoon sun was shining over the Mediterranean, making the waters shimmer past the palm trees. I watched as speedboats whizzed by and as a smattering of tourists lazed around and sunned themselves by the outdoor pool. What an unbelievable sight for a gal from Edmonton who is used to having her snowboots out by this time of year!
The most remarkable thing about the post-lunch spa day was a conversation that I had with the young lady who did my facial. Many Lebanese people have friends/relatives in Canada, many of whom live in Montreal. This young lady started off the conversation by telling me that she has three cousins who live in Canada, to which I replied, "They must live in Montreal." "Oh no," she said, "They leeve een this state of Al-behr-ta een a city called Ed-mon-ton. Do you know dis place?" If I had been standing up, I probably would have fallen over.
If (or should I say WHEN) you come to visit, I will be sure to take you around to the Movenpick. If the spa treatments aren't your thing, then at least we will go for lunch and savour the view.
-- Saturday Night on the Town
I wanted to top off my fantastic day at the spa by going for a night on the town in Beirut. For those of you who haven't heard, Beirut probably has the best nightlife in all of the Middle East!
But it is so hard when you are the proverbial CFA (Come From Away) and you don't know many people. I would have given my left arm on Saturday night to be able to call up Kyle, Craig, Allison, et al to go out for a pint or two... even if we had to go to that little hole in the wall called Biddy Mulligan's.
Anyway, in order to get past our temporary bout of the blues, Glenn & I decided to go out for dinner and drinks. We headed out to Ghemayze Street (where there are a lot of bars and restaurants) and, after a nice dinner, we found ourselves in familiar surroundings -- an Irish pub, of all things! It was called Maggie Malone's. It was chock full of various western ex-pats who were singing along to cheesy retro hits (case-in-point: "I Was Made for Lovin' You" nearly brought down the house). Needless to say, it was my kind of place!!! I know that I am supposed to be out here experiencing a new culture, but every now and again it is nice to get a little piece of home.
-- This is why I never became an artist.
On Sunday, Glenn & I made a foray into downtown and managed to find the Ceramic Cafe, one of those quaint lunch places where you can paint a ceramic bowl or plate. I have always wanted to do this. There was a ceramic cafe in Halifax that I always wanted to go to, but we just never got around to it!
Because we have been in search of a vase, I decided to go for broke and painted a rather large one. I picked a simple, Japanese-inspired design with leaves, branches and white flowers. Before I started, the woman who manages the cafe helped me to pick colours and even showed off the design that I had chosen (from a book) to other customers. 4 1/2 hours and several bottles of paint later (many of which ended up all over the ceiling and my elbows), the manager wasn't showing off about my vase anymore. The thing looked like it was painted by a 5-year-old! When I signed the bottom of the vase before we left, I was very tempted to write "Cheryl, age 6".
Glenn has tried to assure me that it will look more "professional" after it is fired in the kiln and polished up. I guess we will find out in a week when we go back for the finished products. One part of me is almost too embarrassed to pick it up, but the other half of me is strangely fascinated with what this monstrosity is going to look like!
***
On a parting note, I want to thank all of you who e-mailed me about this blog, as it is so nice to hear from everyone! I will be posting more pictures tomorrow and I will take some pics of the apartment as soon as it stops looking so embarrassing (cardboard and books everywhere!).
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
The Grotto in Jeita
About 3 weeks ago, Glenn & I were treated to a whirlwind tour of a number of sites just outside of Beirut, including some Roman ruins and an old sook (market). The day trip was organized by Nada, Glenn's co-worker, and we were also accompanied by two of her lovely friends, Nadine and Sabine (forgive my awful spelling!).
For me, the highlight of the day was our visit to the Grotto in Jeita in the mountains just outside of Beirut. The site is made up of a series of caves that were discovered by a shepherd in the late 1800s as he was a'tendin' to his flock.
This is a photo from the Upper Grotto -- unfortunately, I did not take it because tourists are not allowed to bring their cameras inside (this picture is borrowed from a tourism website). This is pretty typical of bright stalactite and stalagmite formations that we saw in the Upper Grotto.We were told by tour guides who were working inside the Grotto that day that there are almost 2 km worth of caves in the Upper Grotto area. We were able to see quite a bit, but the excavation is ongoing.
The conditions in the Upper Grotto remain constant at a temperature of 23C and humidity of 100%.
Once again, I did not take this photo, but I believe that this is a picture of the Lower Grotto. A river runs through it. During the winter season, the river fills the Lower Grotto with water
. We were taken through the Lower Grotto on a small motorized boat, and even I had to duck to get underneath one of the rock shelves.I found it rather dark and spooky in the Lower Grotto -- very Phantom of the Opera!
Here are Glenn and I on the cable car, with the lush mountains of Lebanon in the background. It was an absolutely gorgeous October day! This picture gives you a good idea of the great tan that Glenn has been working on since his arrival (hah!).
Monday, November 13, 2006
Hey look, I started a Blog!!!!
It's a beautiful day in sunny Beirut (18C). As I keep saying to friends back home, when was the last time you got to eat outside and roam around (at night) without a jacket or sweater in mid-November? [Hopefully, global warming will not cause this to be a common occurrence in The Great White North.] Last week, on my "30 minus 1" birthday, Glenn and I had dinner on the terrace of a restaurant downtown at 8:30 at night!
As promised I have started a Blog, mostly to post pictures and tell funny stories. I also promised my former French teacher (Florian, I know you are out there!) that I would try my hand at posting to my Blog en francais (it is embarrassing as I don't know how to get accents on this blogging program). True to my word, I will try this from time to time. Those of you who are francophone, please forgive me in advance.
I have now been Living La Vida Lebanese for a month, and I would like to share with you some of my initial (non-political) impressions. Here they are, in no particular order:
(1) Other than a few isolated and politically-motivated incidents, Beirut is truly a safe city for locals and tourists alike. I have never been worried about walking around alone, and have never been harrassed (except by taxi drivers wanting to offer me a ride). This is more than I can say for any Canadian city that I have ever lived in. The warmth and hospitality of the Lebanese people rival those of Canadian Maritimers.
(2) Come to think of it, I have to add something to my first observation above. Beirut is truly a safe city... except if you decide to drive. Some of the shenanigans pulled by the drivers in this town are mind-boggling, if not outright insane. Lanes? Traffic lights? Speed limits? One-way streets??? They are, at best, suggestions. Don't even get Glenn started on drivers who (a) create another lane where there is only a shoulder; and (b) create right/left-hand turning lanes where they don't exist.
(3) Lebanese people put Canadians to shame in terms of their mastery of Canada's two official languages, as well as their own. Many of the Lebanese people that I have met speak English, French and Arabic interchangeably. And their French is impeccable. If you query them, they will tell you that Canadians are lovely people, but that we are rather laissez-faire with our spoken English and French. Hey, we prefer to think of ourselves as "easy going" rather than lazy-fare!
(4) You can get ANYTHING delivered to your home (in terms of food) from just about any restaurant in town. That includes McDonald's and Burger King. Quite often, there is no minimum amount for which they will agree to deliver. And yes, they DO have KFC -- but they have never heard of GRAVY (as evidenced by the rather puzzled query: "Gravy? What eez dis?" when Glenn tried to order it from the KFC delivery line).
(5) Related to the above note about condiments and sauces, garlic sauce (a la Georgie and Sorrento's in Ottawa) flows like water here. They like to eat it with their fries. Oh, and speaking of fries... they put FRIES in their chicken shawarma!!! I was skeptical at first, but I find that the fries do add "an extra oomph".
(6) Although the Lebanese are generally a friendly and cosmopolitan people, for some reason they have trouble spelling the name "Glenn". Receipts have come back with his name spelled "Gramm" or even better "Miss Glen". And I am known among the Lebanese as "Shir-lee". I have tried to correct them, but to no avail. I have certainly been called worse!
Anyway, now that this Blog is up, I will be posting pictures to it very soon (possibly tonight if I can swing it). And there will certainly be more funny stories to come. So stay tuned.
As promised I have started a Blog, mostly to post pictures and tell funny stories. I also promised my former French teacher (Florian, I know you are out there!) that I would try my hand at posting to my Blog en francais (it is embarrassing as I don't know how to get accents on this blogging program). True to my word, I will try this from time to time. Those of you who are francophone, please forgive me in advance.
I have now been Living La Vida Lebanese for a month, and I would like to share with you some of my initial (non-political) impressions. Here they are, in no particular order:
(1) Other than a few isolated and politically-motivated incidents, Beirut is truly a safe city for locals and tourists alike. I have never been worried about walking around alone, and have never been harrassed (except by taxi drivers wanting to offer me a ride). This is more than I can say for any Canadian city that I have ever lived in. The warmth and hospitality of the Lebanese people rival those of Canadian Maritimers.
(2) Come to think of it, I have to add something to my first observation above. Beirut is truly a safe city... except if you decide to drive. Some of the shenanigans pulled by the drivers in this town are mind-boggling, if not outright insane. Lanes? Traffic lights? Speed limits? One-way streets??? They are, at best, suggestions. Don't even get Glenn started on drivers who (a) create another lane where there is only a shoulder; and (b) create right/left-hand turning lanes where they don't exist.
(3) Lebanese people put Canadians to shame in terms of their mastery of Canada's two official languages, as well as their own. Many of the Lebanese people that I have met speak English, French and Arabic interchangeably. And their French is impeccable. If you query them, they will tell you that Canadians are lovely people, but that we are rather laissez-faire with our spoken English and French. Hey, we prefer to think of ourselves as "easy going" rather than lazy-fare!
(4) You can get ANYTHING delivered to your home (in terms of food) from just about any restaurant in town. That includes McDonald's and Burger King. Quite often, there is no minimum amount for which they will agree to deliver. And yes, they DO have KFC -- but they have never heard of GRAVY (as evidenced by the rather puzzled query: "Gravy? What eez dis?" when Glenn tried to order it from the KFC delivery line).
(5) Related to the above note about condiments and sauces, garlic sauce (a la Georgie and Sorrento's in Ottawa) flows like water here. They like to eat it with their fries. Oh, and speaking of fries... they put FRIES in their chicken shawarma!!! I was skeptical at first, but I find that the fries do add "an extra oomph".
(6) Although the Lebanese are generally a friendly and cosmopolitan people, for some reason they have trouble spelling the name "Glenn". Receipts have come back with his name spelled "Gramm" or even better "Miss Glen". And I am known among the Lebanese as "Shir-lee". I have tried to correct them, but to no avail. I have certainly been called worse!
Anyway, now that this Blog is up, I will be posting pictures to it very soon (possibly tonight if I can swing it). And there will certainly be more funny stories to come. So stay tuned.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
